Quick guide for the identification of Bulgarian M36 helmets
by Fabrizio Frassica

As a small collector I often surf the Net or walk around Sunday markets hunting for helmets. Sometimes I am shocked at what people will try to sell to you. One above all struck me; he was trying to sell a German Bundeswehr helmet (the US-shaped Helm 1A1) from the 1980's passing it on as a wartime US M1 found on the Gothic Line...

For this reason I decided to gather some information and notes on helmet identification, starting with Bulgarian M1936 helmets.

Short History

Defeated in WW1, Bulgaria needed a new helmet to use together with the German Models used in the War, which, repainted and refurbished, will be part of the Bulgarian equipment until the fall of the Communist regime.

The new M36 model was produced in three variants: A, B and C. This was due to different requirements of the armed forces and to the fact that the manufacturers were in three different countries: Czechoslovakia for the A model, Germany for the B model and Bulgaria for Model C. Unfortunately there are no ID markings inside the helmets (apart from very rare cases) but only sizes.

1936A Model

This model has a crest - obtained during the stamping process and not attached on as on the Adrian helmet – from the top to the brow. The liner is attached by 4 large rivets. This is probably of local manufacture. The chinstrap is in a single piece and is attached to 2 metal plates with D rings, riveted to the shell. The colour of the helmet is smooth matt dark green, with a Bulgarian tricolor decal on the right side. The rim is rolled inward. There is also an aluminium parade version.

1936B Model

Like the one above, but the liner could be attached by 4 rivets as in the A model, or by 3, like on the German M16: 2 at the front and one at the back. The rim is not rolled.

1936C Model

This is different than the others: there are no large rivest to hold the liner, which is instead held in place by 6 small rivets - 3 on each side - attached to small metal plates riveted to a circular metal band upon which the leather liner is fixed. The colour could be as in the first 2 models or with a rougher texture, varying from grey-green to light grey-green. The chinstrap is in two pieces, of German type as on the German M35.

This helmet also had a visorless version, probably produced in Czechoslovakia, as all its accessories were.

Liners

The liners found inside Bulgarian M36s mirror about 60 years of honoured duty in the Bulgarian armed forces. Original liners have 7 (pointed tip) or 8 flaps (smaller and more apart with rounded tip) and often the cyrillic DVF marking, meaning Darjavna Voenna Fabrika/ state military factory. In the following years, liners have been substituted by similar models in lighter or even red leather, if not by the Mod 51 helmet liner. This helmet was a close copy of our Italian M33, but manufactured with inferior quality materials. It is noticeable that inside Bulagian M36s there’s a leather pad inserted or glued to the top of the dome to proteck the top of the wearer’s head. They are generally made out of leather and can have different shapes: star, rose, flower or round.

Decals

As mentioned above, wartime M36s present a national tricolor decal on the right side. In the post-war period we find these colours painted by hand in horizontal or slanted bands. During the Communist era, a red star was also painted frontally. For military traffic controllers, helmets were painted white and had the national colours painted at the front and inscribed in a black circle with the letter “P”.

All M36 versions are currently still serving in the Bulgarian armed forces along with more recent models.

Bulgarian M51/72 helmet

In the 1950’s Bulgaria decided to renew its M36 helmets with the new model 51. Formally adopted in the early 50’s, this helmet was issued only in the 1970’s.

Manufactured with a poor quality steel, the helmet is a close copy of the Italian M33 helmet. The Bulgarian M51 is slightly more shallow and rounded, however identification is not immediate, as the leather liner and metal support are a copy as well.

Helmets could be green or camouflaged in shades of brown. Front emblems could be a red star or a rampant lion. The helmet also had a camo cover.

Military Police had a white helmet with national tricolour circle, at the front and back, and a P over it. Some helmets can also be completely white, or without the tricolour, but with a circle and the letter P.

The helmet was also exported to Cuba and Algeria, where it was fitted with Spanish M42/79 suspension systems.

(updated September 2006)